"Who dares trespass into the Dragon Clan's sacred…!"
Before the Dragonblood Attendant could finish his sentence, he was met with the merciless crushing force of the Magitek Tank.
The damage wasn't high, but the insult was catastrophic.
Seven or eight minor mobs, enraged beyond reason, charged forward with swords raised, hacking away at the Magitek Tank in a flurry of futile strikes.
Nightshade laughed heartily. "This is hilarious! I love this kind of dimension-reducing blow from technological superiority!"
Orson and Nightshade plunged into the dungeon as a team, bulldozing through everything in their path with their tank. Firepower rained down wherever they went, blasting mobs into disarray.
These attendants only had HP in the fifty-thousand range, weaker than Dragonblood Guards, yet they were recklessly brave, desperate enough to bite the tank if they could.
"You have discovered the ruins of the Lost Frost Dragon Kingdom."
"Centuries ago, Ivan, the renowned dragon knight of the Light Dragon Empire, betrayed his kin. His descendants have since wrought havoc upon the world…"
"Mission 1: Slay Prince Ivan III.
Mission 2: Attempt to rescue the Dragon Maiden.
Failure Penalty: None.
Hint: This mission is highly difficult; a level 35 team is recommended."
A string of notifications chimed, clearly outlining the objectives.
Orson paused to think. The setup for Mission 2 seemed odd—it only required players to "attempt" the rescue, not succeed, meaning the dungeon could still be cleared by defeating the final boss.
This kind of mission condition was unusually lenient.
However, Orson knew better. Abyss-tier difficulty was no joke. Missions without failure penalties often came with absurdly low clear rates, and dying dozens or even hundreds of times was par for the course.
The dungeon's terrain resembled the neighboring Goblin Factory, but there were clear signs of prior habitation—many wooden structures had been built atop the ruins.
More Dragonblood Attendants poured out of their living quarters. Orson stayed in the tank, mindlessly spamming attacks.
Chaotic magic rained down, mowing down waves of mobs in seconds. Nightshade watched in stunned silence, finding no chance to even lift a finger.
"Why can't the Divine Emperor Earrings trigger double damage?" Orson frowned. He'd noticed the issue earlier while fighting the Dragonblood Commander.
Based on the earring's effect, he should be dealing double damage to Dragonblood units.
"Could it be that these mobs' bloodline isn't pure enough?" Orson speculated. That seemed to be the most plausible explanation.
Meanwhile, Nightshade's level skyrocketed. With elite boss kills and countless mobs, his leveling speed was like a rocket launch—he reached level 13 in no time.
Nightshade grinned. "Level 25, here I come! Soon I won't need magic gear to pull my weight!"
Orson smiled without commenting. This kid was hilariously naive.
"Your Soul Seal proficiency has reached its limit."
After torching another dozen mobs, Orson frowned and opened his Soul Seal panel. Both range and mana attributes had maxed out at the intermediate cap, turning the panel's upgrade option gray.
"You have triggered a new hidden mission: Travel to Purple Thunder Fortress and find the priestess Ziyan. Complete the Soul Seal Trial to advance your Soul Seal's power!"
Orson shook his head. It was inevitable.
Typically, only Lord-Class or higher Soul Seals had advancement restrictions, and their trial missions were notoriously difficult.
Considering the absurd stats of his Soul Seal, Heavenly Spirit's Right Eye, the trial would probably rival pulling teeth from a dragon's mouth.
Still, Orson wasn't overly concerned. With his current strength, he might just be able to pass the trial.
Driving the tank and singing along, the two of them were like tigers among sheep—or perhaps more like tigers driving a Range Rover, showcasing brutal and unrelenting carnage.
Nightshade gleefully rammed and crushed buildings, leaving destruction in his wake.
The noise they made was deafening, drawing hordes of monsters. Orson let the kid vent his frustrations without interference.
Stone dragons blocked paths, Flame Dragons smashed the mobs, and the swarm of enemies was little more than free experience.
Deeper underground, the Magitek Tank suddenly began to shake violently.
Nightshade's expression changed. He felt something massive lift the tank.
Braving his fear, he peeked outside.
A dull thud rang out. Fortunately, he ducked back just in time to avoid being swatted to death by a gigantic claw.
"Holy crap, it's a monster!" Nightshade screamed, slamming the accelerator in reverse.
[Corrupted Earth Dragon: Level 30]
[Elite Creature]
[HP: 1,500,000]
[Attack: 1,200]
[Skills: Freeze, Savage Nature, Mighty Amplification, Heavy Armament]
A massive gray earth dragon stood before them, its four limbs planted firmly on the ground, icy breath steaming from its nostrils. It had draconic blood but no wings, its body clad in heavy armor.
The Magitek Tank, impressive as it was, looked like a mere toy in front of the earth dragon.
This behemoth had nearly flipped the tank with a single swipe.
The oppressive presence triggered Nightshade's fear of giant creatures. He frantically reversed, only to have the dragon spew icy mist, instantly forming a thick ice wall to block their retreat.
"ROAR!"
The earth dragon, bristling with spikes like a walking fortress, charged with Mighty Amplification. Everything in its path, be it rocks or buildings, was obliterated.
Orson remained calm, attempting to use Flame Dragon Strike to knock the boss airborne. Without crowd-control immunity, there was a chance to juggle it to death.
His staff triggered multiple effects.
"Yes!" Orson cheered internally.
Three Flame Dragons descended in sequence, unleashing knockback effects. Even a lord-tier boss would be forced into crowd-control immunity—what chance did an elite boss have?
But the next second, his excitement turned to disbelief.
The knockback only juggled a few elite mobs. The colossal earth dragon merely swayed slightly.
Narrowing his eyes, Orson noticed the black armor on the boss glowing faintly, providing formidable defense that rendered knockback nearly ineffective.
Orson quickly switched tactics, unleashing a flurry of Chaos Magic Balls on the boss.
-800
Critical: -1500
-3600
…
"Ugh, only this much damage? Even without double damage, this is ridiculous!"
The boss's resistances were absurd, reducing Orson's output by at least 30%.
"What do we do? This earth dragon is way too OP!" Nightshade yelled in panic. Without the goblin minions he could summon outside the dungeon, he felt utterly helpless.
Seeing the lack of damage, Orson stayed composed. "Don't panic. Use the Magitek Cannon to break its armor. I'll exploit the debuff."
"Got it!"
Nightshade, inspired by Orson's calmness, found his focus.
Under his control, the Magitek Tank skidded along the ice wall, firing shells at the boss.
Armor Break: -1000
Resistance Reduction: -10%
Armor Break: -1000
Resistance Reduction: -20%
As the cannon hits stacked debuffs, Orson opened the tank's hatch and leaped out.
Nightshade stared, dumbfounded. "Bro, what are you doing?!"
A mage without protection was basically one-hit fodder for the boss!
Does this guy even know how to play the game?!